The fact that AI models can be so easily distilled and replicated is such a stroke of luck. 10 or 15 years ago if one had asked me to envision a future where a private company invents artificial intelligence, I'd have thought for sure they'd have a massive moat, be very difficult to catch, and it would create an almost instant monopoly. Rather, it seems that selling intelligence might end up as a race to the bottom.…
How much of this ability to replicate is down to the openness of the science community and the paper on transformers being accessible by anyone?
Its not that wild of an idea. It's not like e.g. chipmaking where even just knowing how things are done doesnt mean you can copy it.